Ancient History
Prologue
Part One
Part Two:
"What? Surpass the legacy of Strategius? You don't seem to understand...we
are the legacy of Strategius."
-High Elder Dominius II,
Debates
---
867 Postum Diasporum, Eldrar
The world was changing. Eldrar burned. Strategius knew it, and once he would have wept for the deaths of its people. It was too late now...too late to cry. His very energy was ebbing...it would not be long before he died.
Very few noticed it that final night. Normally the Stratikrator wore a deep purple cloak, the symbol of his rule. But on the night he captured Veritas and began the Autoregium, he wore a flowing cape of pure crimson, the Phoenix Rampant emblazoned in gold thread. He wore that cape again.
Host Lord Sempronius was at his side.
"My lord! The central square is taken! We have the High Priest trapped in his Palace like a cornered rat!"
At the High Priest's name, the fading Strategius' eyes flared. Even in the darkness, they shined, filled with anger and rage. It was
he that had done this. That dirty, disgusting, sniveling demon! Countless people slaughtered, countless lives ripped apart...it was an abomination against humanity!
"Alone. I must face him alone."
"My lord...you must...?"
"Come, Sempronius."
They ran through the streets, followed by guards and stragglers. The purple and gold flag of Veritas appeared over a section of wall, illuminated by the flames consuming the wooden city. There were still some desparate Eldranian archers hiding in the upper windows of the buildings...it wasn't safe for any commander in his right mind.
But it was all ending soon for the Stratikrator.
Armored feet fell on ash-covered stone steps, and the vanguard of the Army approached the High Priest's Palace.
Arrows pinged across the open square from the opposite side, some snapping on armor...and other, luckier arrows finding flesh.
"None shall follow me," declared Strategius. "If I do not return, may the One be with you all."
The armored Latismen, Septilions and Host-Lords fell to their knees, touching their wrists to their foreheads in the ancient Veritasan gesture of worship and humility.
"And also with you," they cried.
And so he entered the domain of the High Priest Eldan. And only one thing filled the Stratikrator's mind.
Vengeance....
---
1004 Postum Diasporum
"Dear One...we're going to die."
The merchant fell to his knees on the sands, and wept. Behind him, the sailors crouched in the wreckage of their trading galley, and muttered about their ill luck.
"I knew we should have made that sacrifice to Seldnias*...damn."
"You fool! Seldnias doesn't exist, he's just a false god made up by the enemies of the One. It was probably you worshipping him that drove us off course."
Most of the sailors agreed with this, and soon began punching the unlucky pagan.
"Men! Stop your grieving and get off this ship...you children."
Decimus Laninarian was an able captain. A bit of a disciplinarian...but with superstitious, lazy sailors one could never be too strict. Inwardly he was as afraid of their plight as the sailors...but the Captain could never show it.
Jumping off the side railing of the ship, (which broke and collapsed as soon as he did,) he trotted over to the merchant, who was crying in the sand. This man was rich, so he could afford to be nice to him.
Putting on a smile, he lay his hand on the merchant's shoulder.
"Come now...don't worry."
"Bah! Don't worry? I'm not stupid, Laninarian. Look at your ship! It's completely destroyed...we'll never get to Emor, and never bring the Assemblum their bronze, I'm ruined! Do you even know where we are?"
Decimus fought a growing urge to hit the hysterical man, and calmed himself. Slowly, he said,
"That storm was heavy, but I think that it blew us south and west. If the stars I checked are true, then we are far south of Emor, along the coastline of the southern jungle."
The merchant's eyes bulged. Then he whispered, "No one's ever been that far...we really are going to die." Resigned to it, he fell back on the ground.
Decimus stared at the pitiful figure, and sighed.
"Aurian, get the crew to bring any supplies we have left onto shore. I'm going into the jungle for firewood."
His First Mate wondered if it was a good idea to go into that jungle alone, but shrugged. If Decimus wanted to do it, no one would stop him. Of course, the sailors gave him up for dead the instant he passed through the leaves.
It was hot inside the jungle, and misty. These trees were old...older than any he had seen before in Kehexou, where he grew up. Son of the Veritasan Emissary...he grinned thinking of the expression on his parents' faces when he told them about what he was going to do with his life.
As he thought about times past, Captain Laninarian lost track of where he was going. Oh One...just brilliant. He turned, and turned again, trying to figure out which way the beach was. But all that he saw was featureless jungle in all directions. So he continued on.
After another hour's journey, just as he was about ready to despair, he stubbed his toe. On a rock, oddly. And the rock was piled on another rock, and another...in fact, he was facing a stone wall. Civilization!
But the wall was covered in roots...and though it was as high as a man, it looked in danger of collapsing. But after rubbing off the dirt that clung to it, he saw that the stones were pure marble. Pure marble! Just like what they have in Veritas! Or had, at least. Well, anyone that used marble couldn't be all bad, so he decided to chance his luck. Scrabbling up the side of the wall, he lifted himself over, jumping to the ground on the other side.
Decimus was amazed. There was not a person in sight...but on his left, a massive column rose up, twice as wide as the thickest tree he saw. It rose up so high, it disappeared into the mists above him. And on his right, another column! In fact, there was a row of huge, marble columns, extending as far as he could see into the distance...
"Almost like a city in the jungle," he mused. But like Veritas, this place was partially destroyed. Vines twirled up the columns, and massive piles of debris littered the stone courtyard in which he stood...perhaps a remnant of the unfathomable fallen ceiling, three hundred feet above.
Entranced by the eerie beauty of the ruined columns, the sea captain continued to walk between the rows. Finally, he reached a massive central square where two other rows of columns met the one he was following. In the center, a fountain stood, choked by weeds. But it would have been beautiful when it flowed. A rusted metal that once might have been silver was sculpted into a statue with no head left...it had a spear in its right hand, and a tree in its left, though.
That reminded him of something...but he couldn't remember what. Damn.
"What is this place?" Laninarian had never heard of any cities south of Emor...no one had. Just jungle, stretching to the edge of the world. Apparently everyone else was wrong.
Behind the fountain lay a series of marble steps, arching upwards...
"I'm sure I'll solve this mystery once I reach the top," he said.
After a few minutes of climbing, he finally crossed the highest threshold, which looked to lead to the ruin of some sort of lavish chamber. To Decimus' amazement, this area was raised above the jungle...what architect could do this? Since the ceiling was long gone, the chamber looked like a raised platform riding on the endless trees. But he could see the sea! And his ship! Thank the One, he was saved!
A final row of smaller columns headed down, to what looked like a throne. And a figure was in it! Decimus rushed to thank the man for his hospitality...and stopped dead in his tracks. That was no man in the throne, it was a corpse.
Approaching it carefully, he gasped in wonder. The throne itself was pure silver, all corroded and rusted away. But the figure in it...
It seemed to be a man, clothed in the rotting tatters of what was once a blue robe. A small hole was indented where the heart would have been, but no weapon remained. In the skeleton's right hand was a sceptre of pure gold, far greater even than the silver rod that the High Elder used. But in his left hand was something else...
Decimus pulled apart the fingers, which broke. Shuddering, he pulled the object out of the dead king's grasp...it was a small scroll of some sort. That sceptre alone would make him richer than a lord! Grabbing it and the scroll, he ran back down the stairs. What his crew would do when they saw this!
They could build a new boat, sail to Veritas in triumph! His parents would adore him, the Assemblum would make him a hero for this discovery...the world would be his!
Veritas...that suddenly reminded him. Rushing back to the fountain, he looked at the rusting figure of silver.
A spear in its right hand, a tree in its left...
A young man stood upon a ship's prow gazing at Veritas for the first time. The first thing that every man approaching Veritas from the sea saw was...
The Arch of the Exodus! The statue of the One at the peak! Almighty One! This place was Veritasan, but older than Veritas itself! This meant...this meant that...!
Captain Decimus Laninarian never had time to figure out what it meant, as a black spear plunged into his back. Gasping, he toppled over and died, never even seeing his attacker.
As for the scroll that would have explained everything, it fell from his limp hands into the fountain, to dissolve in the muddy water there.
In a buried cavern far away, Strategius clasped in his hands the Truth.
---
Notes:
*Seldnias: Among some Kehexou and Khemran mariners, Seldnias is worshipped informally as the God of the Oceans...it is suspected to be some forgotten deity from a branch of Khemri Polytheism, but worship of it is looked down on in Veritas and Emor.
I'll write on a bit later 
Thanks Iggy. 
my neighbours!
!
